First mistakes, second chances

On its face, “She’s Got the Look� would have you believe it’s performing charity work. Of the finalists selected during this week’s season premiere of the modeling competition, which features only women over 35, several background stories stick out: One woman has a long military history, another was a homeless single mother. A third finalist had simply never believed in her beauty, nor had anyone around her.

It’s telling that this last contestant’s tale arouses the most sympathy from the judges on this show, which celebrates the thrill of the second chance, regardless of what it was that took away the first one: errors of circumstance, errors in choice, or just mere oversight.

Why modeling is the avenue these women have chosen for their redemption is left largely unexplained on the premiere (TV Land, 9 p.m. Thursday). Also left unaddressed is why modeling is a worthy choice at all. (Why not aim to be on “The Cougar,� for example, the May-December dating show on TV Land that just concluded last week?) Unlike on “America’s Next Top Model,� where Tyra Banks continually reaffirms the emotional qualities that ostensibly make a great model, here just looking good is reward enough. Or maybe a relief.

There’s no crime in vanity without motivation, but given the possible depth of their stories, it’s surprisingly difficult to trigger empathy for these participants, at least initially, except perhaps Lori, who exhibits deeply manic tendencies -- she was “fired seven times from corporate America� -- that cry out for an intervention far more than a photo shoot.

“She’s Got the Look� is hosted by a frozen-faced Kim Alexis, who seems to reflect the show’s steamed-neat aesthetic. Previews of later episodes appear to hold promise of emotional excavation -- one week will feature a photo shoot inspired by the specific fears of each contestant -- but thus far the show is looking past tragedy for joy, and little of that.

While fabulousness is the order of the day, though, there’s no sense not celebrating it. On a show riddled with its own biases -- of the 10 over-35 finalists, only three are over 40 -- one woman truly stands out. She is Dolores, a glamorous 72-year-old grandmother and former model for Ebony and Jet. It’s never made clear why she wants another crack at modeling glory, but with steel-colored hair as lustrous as hers, a smile as stunning and an attitude as cheery, it hardly matters.

Whatever it is that she’s had to persevere, perhaps she can be a role model for Maci, the subject of the premiere of “16 & Pregnant� (10 p.m. Thursday), a collaborative effort between MTV, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and the Kaiser Family Foundation. In each of the next six weeks, this show will focus on the life of a young pregnant woman up through the delivery of her child and beyond, into the difficult first months of parenting.

There may be stories of bliss yet to come in this series, but beginning with Maci would appear to indicate trouble ahead. Where “Secret Life of the American Teenager,� a fictionalized version of this dilemma that likely was an inspiration for this show, can seem neatly sewn together with its plethora of characters interested in the well being of the baby, “16 & Pregnant� is pleasantly unvarnished. (Conspicuously absent, though, is footage of Maci’s labor, which would seem a logical element in any deterrence strategy.) Ryan, the father, is a real slouch, becoming more and more surly as the baby becomes more and more of a responsibility. Even his parents seem attuned to his flaws, needling him to be more attentive, or at least alert. “If we didn’t have a kid, we wouldn’t be together,� he tells Maci.

And so what began as a show about how an unplanned pregnancy could happen to anyone -- “I’m a total overachiever, I get good grades, I play softball, and I’m even on the cheerleading squad,� Maci says of her pre-baby life -- quickly becomes a show about the toll of relationships built upon youthful flaws. Maci struggles to stay committed to her schoolwork. She has to quit a dance team with her friends. She cooks for Ryan, who ignores her in favor of his friends. “Sometimes it feels like I’m taking care of two babies,� Maci sighs. Half-full bottles of alcohol in their kitchen act as a silent rebuke.

By the end of this episode, even through what feels like a contrived reconciliation between the couple, it’s clear Maci’s got an almost impossible road ahead. She seems like someone who, at age 35, will be badly in need of a second chance and probably not at anything so mundane as modeling.

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